Al-Qaeda gunmen seize Yemen city Zinjiba

Hundreds of suspected al-Qaeda gunmen have captured the southern Yemeni city
of Zinjibar after heavy fighting with security forces.

Anwar al-Awlaki is one of the leaders of al-Qa'eda Yemen franchisePhoto: AP

9:00AM BST 29 May 2011

Government officials said that the provincial capital was under the control of militants after fighting that began on Friday and had claimed 16 lives, including civilians.

The fighters "were able to gain control of the city of Zinjibar ... and took over all government facilities" a security official told AFP. Only the headquarters of the the 25th mechanised brigade was holding out, he added, but it was besieged by the gunmen.

A local resident said: "About 300 Islamic millitants and al-Qaeda men came into Zinjibar and took over everything on Friday."

Zinjibar is the capital of Abyan province in south central Yemen. The impoverished state, which was the ancestral homeland of Osama bin Laden, has been wracked by violence amid protests to end President Ali Abdullah Saleh's near 33-year rule.

Washington considers al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula - the Yemen-based al-Qaeda franchise - to be the world's most active terrorist cell.